Riccian War
The Riccian War was a war that took place between the Dorian Empire, the Daravian Empire, and Ricci from 29 DR to 34 DR. The war was fought in Riccian territory over land that each nation claimed as its own, and was ended by the Treaty of Eronton. Breakout of war In the autumn of 29 DR, Riccians under Lord General Jed Neslenhach declared independence from Daravia, expecting that, in the wake of the Sunicar Uprising, Daravia would not be willing to enter another involved war. Sure enough, Daravia's Marlin I stalled for several months before attempting to reclaim Ricci; Edric I of Dorio, meanwhile, saw the opportunity and invaded in Rasnosia 30. The three armies met in central Ricci and began to seize cities and forts for their nations. Early years Daravia grabbed an early lead in the first two years of the war, as it had the most recent and comprehensive geographical information about the area, and Ricci still had many Daravian loyalists. Gradually Marlin's forces pushed back those of Neslenhach to the borders of Eronton, and left behind a contingent to besiege the city while Marlin sought to crush Edric's armies quickly. The siege, however, went very slowly, as mysterious merchants frequently slipped past the Daravian camps to smuggle in food; these merchants were apparently Hiesinals, according to a confession Duke Ernest Hiesing made on his deathbed in 35. In the summer of 32, a cornered Edric sent all of his forces in a desperate charge towards Eronton. This charge, termed the "Mad March," was widely doubted, although Edric was able to make it to Eronton with the majority of his army intact. Now with another army at its camps, Daravia was forced to abandon the siege in favor of a more direct conquest of the city, and so the storming of Eronton began. Storming of Eronton Daravians with hastily-constructed rams assaulted the gates of Eronton, opposed by rather overwhelmed Riccian archers, while the Dorian armies flitted around causing chaos and skirmishes. The storming raged for nearly an entire day; however, toward the end, a large part of the Dorian force pilfered climbing gear from the Daravian camps and attempted to climb over the city walls. This distracted the Riccians for long enough that Daravia was able to penetrate the northwest gate of Eronton, but then at nightfall, a fourth army stormed over the eastern hills: the army of Ernest Hiesing, who had been waiting along the Zunerain passes. Ernest later stated his motive as one of revenge, alluding to the Daravian occupation of Hiesing during the Sunicar Uprising. The Hiesinal soldiers had not spent the day at battle, and were not fatigued as the Daravians were. Consequently, the Hiesinals were able to scythe through the Daravian forces, and one cavalryman even managed to kill Daravian king Marlin. As soon as Marlin's body was revealed, the Daravians fled; Marlin II was crowned in a hasty ceremony, and was quick to order a full Daravian retreat from the war. Ernest Hiesing withdrew shortly after the Daravians, declaring that "his purpose is complete, and he now seeks only to bring peace to the people of Hiesing." Later years Edric and Jed, having come strikingly close to complete defeat, took a while to reassemble their armies and fix problems before resuming hostilities. Jed in particular changed up his tactics to be more aggressive, seeking to prevent Edric from reaching the still-damaged Eronton. This proved mostly successful, although Edric nevertheless managed to occupy most of the outlying provinces of Ricci. Few battles reached the intensity of the earlier phase of the war, and the worst bloodthirsts had mostly been quenched by this point. Several especially uneventful battles in the year 34 led Jed to suggest peace talks, an opportunity that Edric was quick to accept. Treaty of Eronton In keeping with the disillusionment gradually striking both sides, Edric and Jed both entered the negotiations expecting to have to make important concessions; this allows them to strike a deal without much trouble. The Treaty of Eronton was written in less than two weeks, and its crux was simple: Ricci would be divided along its provincial lines. The northern provinces of Avor and Leura became an independent Riccian state, and the southern provinces of Doven and Sereva were given to Dorio. While Jed would then go on to attempt to solidify his nation, a resurgence in Dorian war fever would lead Edric next to his disastrous invasion of Pierroge. Category:Wars